In Section One, there were three main characters that Alex comes in contact with:
Jim Gallien- He is the first person to pick up Alex hitchhiking and drove him to Denali National Park. Jim doesn't think that it is a good idea for Alex to be taking on such a big journey and "living off the land for a few months." Jim notices that Alex doesn't have a lot of supplies, so he offers to drive him to Anchorage to buy him some new hunting gear, but Alex refused. Eventually he was convinced to take some insulated boots and two grilled-cheese-and-tuna sandwiches. Jim thought he was a good kid and wanted to hear from him if he ever made it out alive.
Wayne Westerberg- Wayne picked up Alex/Chris and was going to take him to Saco Hot Springs until it started raining. Chris spent three days with Wayne in his trailor. When he left, Wayne said he's welcome back anytime if he needs a job. A few weeks later Chris came back looking for a job. He worked for Wayne until he went to jail, then Chris left and "resumed a nomadic existence." Chris felt a very strong connection towards Wayne and Carthage. He would call Wayne once every few months and had all of his mail forwarded to his address.
Jan Burres- Jan is a lady in her forties who picked up Chris off the side of the road. She thought he was a really good kid, so he stayed with Jan and her boyfriend, Bob, for a week, but kept in touch when he left. He would send a postcard every month or two for the next two years. Chris eventually met up with Jan and Bob a few years later. He stayed witht them for a while working at their flea market. Jan said he helped her out a lot. However, Chris was set on continuing his journey to Alaska, so he left them again and went on his way. Jan had a stron connection towards Chris and had faith that he would survive Alaska.
Jim Gallien- He is the first person to pick up Alex hitchhiking and drove him to Denali National Park. Jim doesn't think that it is a good idea for Alex to be taking on such a big journey and "living off the land for a few months." Jim notices that Alex doesn't have a lot of supplies, so he offers to drive him to Anchorage to buy him some new hunting gear, but Alex refused. Eventually he was convinced to take some insulated boots and two grilled-cheese-and-tuna sandwiches. Jim thought he was a good kid and wanted to hear from him if he ever made it out alive.
Wayne Westerberg- Wayne picked up Alex/Chris and was going to take him to Saco Hot Springs until it started raining. Chris spent three days with Wayne in his trailor. When he left, Wayne said he's welcome back anytime if he needs a job. A few weeks later Chris came back looking for a job. He worked for Wayne until he went to jail, then Chris left and "resumed a nomadic existence." Chris felt a very strong connection towards Wayne and Carthage. He would call Wayne once every few months and had all of his mail forwarded to his address.
Jan Burres- Jan is a lady in her forties who picked up Chris off the side of the road. She thought he was a really good kid, so he stayed with Jan and her boyfriend, Bob, for a week, but kept in touch when he left. He would send a postcard every month or two for the next two years. Chris eventually met up with Jan and Bob a few years later. He stayed witht them for a while working at their flea market. Jan said he helped her out a lot. However, Chris was set on continuing his journey to Alaska, so he left them again and went on his way. Jan had a stron connection towards Chris and had faith that he would survive Alaska.